


Tiny Glowing Screens

by FiveDollarMixtape



Series: Inspiration, Repeat [3]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: And I regret everything, Inspired by Tiny Glowing Screens by Watsky, It all falls apart on the last chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-10-16 15:52:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10574547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiveDollarMixtape/pseuds/FiveDollarMixtape
Summary: SunClan used to believe in the Sun God.  Now, only a few cats do.  Moonkit isn't one of them.





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Song- Tiny Glowing Screens Part 1 by Watsky

Moonkit had been taught about the Sun God since the day of her birth.  While she didn’t remember the event, there had been another litter of kits two moons after her and her littermate were born and she had heard the Medicine Cat yowl the traditional phrase-  _ Thank the Sun God. _  The Sun God was supposed to be the source of their powers, and watched over them every day in the form of the glowing ball in the sky.  In ancient times, he was constantly feared and praised by their Clan- which was dutifully named SunClan in his honor.  As the generations went on, and cats minds grew and expanded beyond the Clan, less and less cats believed in the Sun God.  By now, the ceremonies and phrases having anything to do with the deity were only tradition.

 

Even thought she was only a kit, she was vocal to her peers about how she didn’t believe in the Sun God.  While the queens looked at her with amusement, the kits took her seriously.  They followed her happily- even her littermate had no problems with following his  _ younger _ littermate.  Moonkit didn’t believe that her force fields came from the Sun God, she didn’t believe that he guided every dead cat to their place in the afterlife, and neither did the other kits.

 

When Moonkit was four moons old, the first raid occurred.  A large group of cats had stormed through the camp entrance, and Moonkit was shoved into the Nursery in less than a heartbeat.  Both of the queens stood sentry at the entrance, easily the fighting the fiercest out of all the cats in the Clan.  The opposing group was large enough for each cat to fight two on one, in their favor.  The Clan just barely managed to run them off.  Throughout the whole fight, a visible, blue-tinted sphere surrounded Moonkit, showing her fear.

 

Moonkit sat tall as she looked at her groomed fur.  The white and cream tabby pattern was a hard one to come by, and not particularly noticeable unless you looked close enough.  Her fur itself was long and fluffy, making her look larger than she actually was.  Her eyes were a pale, yet bright blue.  She cast her gaze over towards her littermate, who was struggling to get out of their mother’s hold.

 

Wavekit’s pelt was blue-gray, with white ears, chest, belly, and tail.  His gray eyes were narrowed in contempt as their similarly-pelted mother (the only difference was that she had a white muzzle) continued her grooming.  The tom was quickly released.

 

“ _ Really, _ Wavekit,” she meowed, “was that really so bad?” 

 

“Yes,” Wavekit grumbled.  The she-cat purred before her blue gaze turned serious.

 

“This is a dangerous time for apprentices,” she meowed.  “Be careful.  Work hard in your training, because it might just be the difference between life and death one day.”

 

Moonkit blinked, giving her littermate a confused look.  Wavekit was giving her the same look, his ear folded backwards.  “We’ll do our best, Willowshade.”

 

The queen nodded, a relief coating her features.  “Go,” she urged.  “Falconstar will be waiting.”

 

The two nodded, rushing over towards their place in front of the stone ledge where Falconstar called his meetings.  The immortal tom seemed to know when the two were approaching, and immediately left his den.  

 

Moonkit always got a strange feeling when she looked at Falconstar.  There wasn’t anything outwardly wrong with him- his dark brown and black fur was always groomed neatly, without a strand out of place.  He commanded respect, and as the oldest being on the earth, it was always given to him.  But there was something wrong with his eyes- green eyes that were hardened by season after season of life, that unsettled the kit.  

 

Maybe it was just the fact that he was one of the few cats who still believed in the Sun God.

 

“May all cats old enough to control their powers join beneath the Sun Ledge for a Clan meeting!” Falconstar yowled, and cats instantly left their dens to gather around the two kits.  It didn’t take long for all the cats to find a place to sit in the clearing.  Falconstar’s green gaze quickly took in his gathered Clan before he began to speak.  “I have been around for many years,” he meowed, “but there are few things I grow tired of.  I have watched kit after kit become an apprentice, and every time I do so it brings me joy.

 

“Wavekit,” the leader pinned his eyes to the tom, “do you accept the position of apprentice, and are you willing to use your powers for this Clan and our God?”

 

Wavekit dipped his head.  “I am.”

 

“Then from this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Wavepaw.  Roseheart,” the old tom looked into the crowd once again, “your ability is to control the water.  I believe that you are the best match for Wavepaw and his power, the ability to breathe underwater.”  Roseheart, a pretty russet she-cat with brown paws, stepped out of the crowd.

 

“I humbly accept the position as Wavepaw’s mentor,” she meowed.  Wavepaw padded over to his new mentor.  The two touched noses before they joined the rest of the crowd.

 

“Moonkit,” Falconstar meowed, causing her to sit up just a bit straighter, “do you accept the position of apprentice, and are you willing to use your powers for this Clan and our God?”

 

Moonkit dipped her head, just as Wavepaw had done.  “I am.”

 

“Then from this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Moonpaw.  Goldenleap,” Moonpaw’s ears twitched at the name of the arrogant tom, before she realized-  _ he was going to be her mentor. _  If she believed in the Sun God, she would have asked for his help.  “Your ability is invulnerability.  I believe that you are the best match for Moonpaw and her power, the use of force fields.”

 

The large, muscled tom padded out of the crowd, a smirk on his face.  His fur was ginger, but when the sun hit it in the way that it currently was, it looked golden.  His eyes were copper, and twinkled with arrogance.  “I accept the position, Falconstar.”

 

_ Do you have to? _ Moonpaw thought, before she stood and padded over to the tom.  The larger cat had the decency to dip his head a bit so that she could touch his nose with her own more easily, but she still had to crane her neck to do so.

 

“Wavepaw! Moonpaw! Wavepaw! Moonpaw!” the Clan cheered.

 

Training with Goldenleap was, for the most part, how Moonpaw expected it to be.  He padded quickly, forcing Moonpaw to keep a steady pace of a trot around him to keep up.  He talked like he was the best cat to ever the earth, while it seemed like a popular opinion that it was the opposite.  He also felt the constant need to remind her that she didn’t have to worry about the quality of her training with himself as her mentor.

 

Still, there was some good things.  He was a surprisingly patient teacher in his own way- when she was being taught how to hunt, every time she would miss a catch he would just purr at her, telling her that you didn’t get to (as he called) ‘Goldenleap Status’ in a moon.  Then, he would laugh at himself for his unintentional joke.  When they fought, he constantly tossed things through her force fields, making her scowl but made him just purr at her to focus more on the type of energy she was pouring into the shield.  Every day her force fields were getting stronger and easier to control.

 

“You know,” Goldenleap meowed once when they were resting from fighting training, “you’ve made quite the reputation for yourself about not believing in the Sun God.”

 

“It’s a dumb concept,” Moonpaw told him.  “Why would some dead cat give us our powers, and watch over us every day?”

 

“Well,  _ I’m  _ here,” Goldenleap purred.  “Isn’t that enough?”

 

Moonpaw rolled her eyes, having grown used to how he spoke about himself.  “Well, what about before you were born? Or after you die?” 

 

Goldenleap blinked.  “You’re right.  If the Sun God  _ is _ real, he’ll have no point to be around after I’m gone.”

 

It wasn’t long after that that Moonpaw’s first raid as an apprentice began- this time she could fight for her Clan.  The other advantage was that it didn’t occur at camp- Goldenleap and Roseheart decided to take Wavepaw and her out to hunt, and they found the Raiders’ scents.  Roseheart sent Wavepaw back to camp to warn Falconstar and bring a battle patrol, while the other three followed after the Raiders.  

 

It didn’t take them long to catch up.  The group was just as large as the one from the first raid- cats of all colors and body shapes were padding across their territory towards camp.  Their leader appeared to be a snow white she-cat with green eyes.  

 

“Moonpaw,” Goldenleap whispered, “can you set up a force field in front of them?” Moonpaw nodded, pausing in pace and focusing.  She brought up all the protective energy she could, forming the barrier a few fox-lengths away from the leading she-cat.  Every cat in the front of the line up seemed to bump into it, causing Moonpaw to smile.  The cats looked around wildly for the three cats hidden in the brush, sniffing the air.  “Now push it towards them,” Goldenleap ordered.  Moonpaw nodded, moving the force field so that it hit the large group of cats, one by one.  A few of them flew through the air, hitting trees before crashing to the ground.  Others only landed harshly on the earth, the air knocked out of their lungs.

 

“Looks like SunClan has some new apprentices, huh?” one cat asked, wheezing as he got to his paws.  

 

Another nodded weakly in agreement.  “I haven’t seen  _ that _ power before,” she meowed.  The leader was already on her paws, looking recovered.

 

“We’ll find out who it is,” she meowed, flicking her tail.  “But they obviously know we’re here.  Get ready.”

 

The cats pulled themselves to their paws, pulling in deep breaths to recover from the air that was forced out of them.  It wasn’t long after that Falconstar leapt through the brush, his Clan following, attacking the Raiders.  

 

“That’s our que!” Roseheart meowed, leaping out towards the fight.  Goldenleap didn’t hesitate for a moment, and after a deep breath, Moonpaw followed.  

 

She was quickly met with a cat that looked about her size, swiping at her muzzle with sharp claws extended.  Moonpaw nearly tripped over her paws to get away from the tom, but his hazel eyes burned with a ferocity that the apprentice had never seen before in any cat.  His black fur stood on end as he finally landed a scratch across her ears, creating a nick in the delicate flesh.  Finally, Moonpaw was able to summon a force field in front of her, pushing it towards the tom and sending him flying into another Raider (who was fighting Wavepaw, but she couldn’t control coincidence).  

 

_ What good are my claws and teeth for if I’m not taught to fight with them? _ she thought as a cat barreled into her side.  She was too close for her to set up a force field, and even if she could she guessed that it would be a weak one based on how badly she was panicking.  Claws were digging into her skin before the cat was lifted off of her.  She looked up to see a brown and gray tabby tom standing in front of her, his tail flicking from side to side.  The name  _ Tigerwing _ helpfully resounded through her mind.

 

“Thank you,” Moonpaw panted.

 

“You owe me a squirrel for this,” Tigerwing teased before he rushed at the cat in a blur.  

 

The battle went on, and on, and  _ on. _  Moonpaw had never needed to use her power so much.  By the time the last Raider cat retreated, she was exhausted.   She nearly fell asleep on her paws, if it wasn’t for Wavepaw’s pelt pressed against hers.  She looked around, the battlefield.

 

Drops of blood, SunClan and Raider, was laying on the ground and leaves of the bushes around them.  Crimson, Moonpaw found, wasn’t a color that mixed well with any other color.  Especially, her numbed mind realized, blue-gray and white.

 

_ Wait, _ she thought, her eyes widening.   _ Blue-gray and white? _

 

In between all the SunClan cats, lay Willowshade.  Scratches covered her sides, and, like Moonpaw, she sported a nicked ear that was covered in crusted blood (Moonpaw, however, could feel hers still oozing the liquid).  The fur around her neck was stained crimson, and her gray eyes were dull and lifeless.  

 

“Willowshade?” Moonpaw whispered.  Wavepaw followed her gaze, and she felt her littermate freeze next to her.  

 

_ “Willowshade!” _ the two yowled in sync, rushing towards their mother.  Their exhaustion was forgotten as they ran towards the she-cat.

 

Moonpaw felt a cat’s jaws scrap her scruff, holding her back from getting closer to Willowshade.  “Let me go!” she yowled, her paws churning in a useless attempt to keep running.   _ “Let me go!” _

 

“Stop, Moonpaw,” Falconstar’s voice was muffled.  “She’s with the Sun God, now.”

 

“No, she’s not!” Moonpaw argued, even though the evidence was right in front of her.  “She can’t be!”

 

“Moonpaw,” Wavepaw’s broken sounding voice was coming from her side, and she looked over at her littermate.  Redheart stood in front of him, blocking his path, but he just looked…  _ defeated. _  “She’s gone.”  Wavepaw’s voice cracked.

 

Moonpaw violently shook her head.  “No, no, no, no, no,” she mumbled.   _ Who am I saying that to? _ She thought as tears grew in her eyes.   _ Falconstar? Wavepaw? Myself? _

 

“Falconstar,” Goldenleap spoke, stepping towards the cats.  “Let me take care of Moonpaw.”  After a moment of hesitation, Moonpaw’s scruff was released.  Her mentor’s ginger fur was immediately pressed against her own.  “Come on,” he meowed softly to her.  “Let’s go back to camp.”

 

Tears were falling silently down her fur.  She nodded.

 

She didn’t know if they had won or lost.  Had SunClan ever really won? Had SunClan ever really lost?

 

Later that night, at the Ceremony of Passing, Moonpaw and Wavepaw were sitting side by side.  Willowshade’s fur was groomed until it had shown in the dim, dying sunlight.  There wasn’t a trace of blood anywhere on or around her.  The sweet scent of herbs was covering her.  As the two closest cats to Willowshade, Moonpaw and Wavepaw had the honor of sitting next to her body during the ceremony.

 

“We give this warrior, this fighter, this servant, to you, oh Sun God,” Falconstar meowed, his eyes trained on the setting sun.  “We trust in your ability to guide her, we trust in her ability to follow you.”  

 

“Please, Sun God,” the Clan murmured.  “Take care of her.”

 

“We speak her name one last time,” Falconstar meowed.  He started the chant.   _ Willowshade, Willowshade, Willowshade. _

 

That night, Moonpaw couldn’t sleep, so she thought.  The Sun God was the first thought that came to her mind.  Willowshade followed soon after.

 

Moonpaw’s very name was a disgrace to the deity.  Willowshade, like Moonpaw, was adamant and loud about how she didn’t believe in the Sun God.  Moonpaw’s name was a testament to her disbelief.  

 

Wavepaw had inherited her pelt, but Moonpaw had been given her personality.

 

The apprentice never believed in the Sun God.  To her, it had always been a dumb and abstract concept that only the Elders and Falconstar believed in.  Now, however, she thought that the fact that Willowshade still existed in some way was comforting.  That night, her belief in the Sun God was born and the belief in her Clan started to die.

 

It was SunClan’s fault that Willowshade, and so many other cats, died by the paws of the Raiders.  If they had just been taught to fight without their powers… Moonpaw buried her head in her paws, hoping that unlike the other fifty times she had tried the action that night, this time she would be able to fall asleep.  She just wanted the war between SunClan and the Raiders to  _ end. _

 

The next morning, Goldenleap excused her training.  “Just one thing,” he meowed.  “What are you looking forward to?”

  
Moonpaw spoke the first thought that came into her mind, because  _ why not _ ? “Killer squirrels.”


	2. Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Tiny Glowing Screens Part 2 by Watsky

In a Clan as big as SunClan, why did Moonpaw matter? 

 

The answer was a complicated one, even if her mind said that she _didn’t_ matter.

 

A cat named Silverrain was known for having only one idea- if the Sun God was so great, why couldn’t all animals speak? She repeated this idea to any cat that would listen, over and over and  _ over  _ again.  Now that Silverrain had been killed by a Raider’s paws, the camp felt just a bit quieter now.

 

Tigerwing was known for being uplifting.  He was always there when another cat needed it- he always had a joke ready and a laugh to share.  Moonpaw herself had experienced his upbeat energy after Willowshade died.  With him gone in the same fashion as Willowshade and Silverrain, the world seemed just a bit sader.

 

Cherrypool had never taken a mate, never grown close to a cat, and had never formed a solid relationship with her mentor.  The only thing that mattered to her was protecting SunClan- before the war, she was on every hunting patrol that she could get on.  After, she took the most wounds then the other cats.  Moonpaw had watched as she leapt in front of an elder, taking claws to her throat and dieing only heartbeats later.  Her death was in sync with the apprentice’s heartbeat.

 

It had been four moons since Willowshade died, three moons since Silverrain and Tigerwing, and a quarter-moon since Cherrypool’s death.

 

On a brighter note, Featherfern had moved into the nursery, expecting Falconstar’s kits.

 

During fighting training with Goldenleap, she had been ordered to form a force field that would form as a protective bubble.  Looking up at the sky, she could see the blue-tinted shield, but not the stars.  That realization made her like her power less.  

 

Her force fields, themselves, brought more thoughts.  The force fields were unchanging, formed only by her.  They protected her, and kept her away from other cats.  She, herself, didn’t need the force fields to do that.  With every word she spoke, she had the time to think about it first and project the image that she wanted seen the most.  What other cats saw and heard from her was what would be remembered by other cats when she was gone, and nothing could change that.

 

Training went on.  Days kept passing.  Cats kept dying.  The day Featherfern’s kits would be born was growing closer and closer.  

 

Those kits would have potential.  Maybe one of them would become a Medicine Cat.  Maybe they would have interesting powers.  Maybe they would be powerful beyond Moonpaw’s imagination.  Still, the unborn kits had potential, even though they weren’t born yet.   _ All  _ cats had potential- a fact she found while daydreaming, wondering if Goldenleap would ever  _ not _ be arrogant.  Her heart thought that he had the potential to.  Her mind thought otherwise.

 

If all cats realized that they had potential, that they could be  _ more _ then just a warrior, apprentice, or Medicine Cat of SunClan, would any cat work for SunClan? Would they hunt, fight, or give themselves up for the Clan? Moonpaw’s mind didn’t think so.  Moonpaw’s heart liked to think that she would.

 

Training went on.  Days kept passing.  Cats kept dying.  The day Featherfern’s kits would be born was growing closer and closer.  

 

Hunting patrols went out.  Cats complained about the war.  They plastered false smiles on their faces to reassure their Clanmates, letting lies like  _ “I’m fine”  _ or  _ “Don’t worry” _ pass through their lips.

 

Moonpaw thought back to the old days of SunClan.  The days where belief in the Sun God was rampant, they prayed and trusted that the deity would lead their Clan on the right path, and sacrificed themselves based on that belief.  She had grown up with the kit’s tale of the first leader of SunClan, Falconstar’s predecessor, had sacrificed himself to protect the Medicine Cat at the time.  His last words, as he stared off into the distance with blood coating his fur, were said to be  _ “Don’t worry, the Sun God will take care of me- of  _ us _.” _

 

With those words, belief in the Sun God was born, and their ragtag group of cats was named SunClan.

 

Moonpaw wished that she had been born back then.  Or, rather, that cats still believed in the Sun God the same way they did back then.  That way, she would be able to fight the Raiders  _ knowing _ that she was fighting for a greater cause.  She knew that cat’s wouldn’t want to listen to her, though.

 

More then anything, Moonpaw wanted cats to realize what she realized.  Why couldn’t cats just think, and think about fighting without believing in the Sun God was useless? Before, she had been avidly against the Sun God, and cats expected her to continue.  She hated even the thought of being thought of like that for the rest of her life, but she couldn’t change what cats judged her for.  What they judged her for was what they saw- what cats judged her for would turn into her story.

 

Moons kept passing.  Moonpaw’s first Leaf Bare arrived.  

 

She went out on hunting patrols.  She complained about the war.  She plastered false smiles on her face to reassure her Clanmates, letting lies like  _ “I’m fine”  _ or  _ “Don’t worry _ ” pass through her lips.

 

As Featherfern’s kits were being born, with the moon setting in the sky, she thought.  

 

The warriors, Medicine Cats, and apprentices all had different roles, and that caused her to think of them differently.  Warriors were wise and experienced, covered with scars and ready to give themselves up for a close friend or a family member, even for a cat they barely knew.  Apprentices were in training to be warriors or Medicine Cats.  They were young, they believed that they would become the best their Clan had to offer, and they had the whole world in front of them.  Medicine Cats healed, they were wise, and made sure that you knew that you  _ mattered _ .  Not just to the Clan, but to the whole world.

 

All of these cats were connected.  Maybe they were connected through shared blood.  Maybe through shared bloodshed.  But, Moonpaw thought, maybe it was just because of their shared Clan.  It was their obligation to take care of each other, just like they took care of Moonpaw and Moonpaw did her best to take care of them.  However, Moonpaw knew that any cat could die in the next battle.  She realized that she was willing to die for her Clan, as well.  She celebrated Clan life just as much as the rest of the cats she was surrounded by.  

 

The only difference was that she seemed to respect the Clan structure more.  Warriors were now sitting and sharing prey with apprentices, the Medicine Cat was freely gossiping with the queens, and Falconstar seemed to have taken interest in the kits.  Moonpaw didn’t remember much from before the war, but she knew one thing- cats would stick to their rank, or in an apprentice’s case, their rank and their mentor.

 

Finally, the light-pelted Medicine Cat padded out of the Nursery.  He looked tired, but he raised his muzzle to the sky and let out a yowl.

 

_ “Thank the Sun God!” _

 

Moonpaw felt elation as Falconstar rushed into the Nursery.  She let out her own yowl of celebration, as did the rest of the Clan.

 

In a Clan as big as SunClan, why did Moonpaw matter? Her heart told her that everyone in SunClan mattered.

 

Moonpaw couldn’t describe how she felt at that moment.  Maybe she didn’t want to, but she did like how she was feeling.  She almost wished she could stop time, just so she could feel it for longer.

 

As she watched Falconstar make his way into the Nursery, she realized why his eyes unsettled her.

 

It wasn’t his belief in the Sun God, and it wasn’t because of how many things he had seen.  It was because he was reminding Moonpaw of herself.

 

It was because even though he was the oldest being on earth, his eyes held the look of a cat ready and  _ eager _ for whatever the universe threw at him.  


	3. Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this one feels all over the place to me, but eh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song- Tiny Glowing Screens, Pt. 3 by Watsky

Falconstar had made a plan during their last Clan meeting.  The plan involved Goldenleap, Wavepaw, Moonpaw, Redheart, and himself.  The Medicine Cat, a tom named Crookedsoul, would also be there, ready to treat any Raiders and SunClan cats.

 

The raid this time was stopped as the patrol approached the six SunClan cats.  The patrol in front of them was large- they were outnumbered five to one.  The cat in front of the Raiders, the white she-cat who appeared to be their leader, laughed.  

 

“Do you think you can beat us with six cats?” 

 

“No,” Falconstar meowed.  He flicked his tail, making the rest of the Clan rain down from the trees above them and pin down every cat that they could.  One of the cats they had pinned down was the leader.  “I do think I can capture you, though, Snow.”

 

Her blue eyes widened.  “How do you know my name?” she snarled.  Falconstar ignored her.

 

“Now, Moonpaw.”  Moonpaw concentrated, forming a small force field over every pinned down cat.  She couldn’t lose focus, she couldn’t even pay attention as the rest of the plan played out, but she knew how it would.  Redheart would make water from a river that flowed past camp surge towards the Raiders.  Wavepaw, Goldenleap, and Falconstar would then run into the water, making sure that all the Raiders they hadn’t captured were run off.

 

It felt like years before she felt a tail on her shoulder.  She snapped her eyes open, looking at an uninjured Goldenleap.  He purred at her.  “You can stop now,” he meowed.  “We won.”

 

Moonpaw’s ears perked, happiness in her chest.  As she let her force fields fade, she noticed that the Clan outnumbered the captured cats.  Falconstar padded up to Moonpaw and Goldenleap, Redheart and Wavepaw at his heels.  “I think that it’s time for two cats to be given their warrior names,” Falconstar meowed.  Moonpaw and Wavepaw’s heads shot up, eagerness in their eyes.  “Come,” he meowed simply.  Moonpaw and Wavepaw followed after their leader.  She heard the rest of the Clan following, and the Raiders being pushed along.

 

Falconstar leapt up to the Sun Ledge, Moonpaw and Wavepaw situating themselves in front of it.  The Raiders were herded into a large den that was made just for them, and guards were placed outside of it before the rest of the Clan gathered around the apprentices.

 

“Wavepaw, Moonpaw,” Falconstar meowed.  “Do you accept the position of warrior, will you continue to use your powers for this Clan and our God, and will you give your life up for us if necessary?” 

 

“I am,” the two littermates meowed, their heads held high.

 

“Then, Wavepaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Waverush.  This name was given to you by the Sun God, and he recognizes the bravery that you gave to earn this name.”  Falconstar leapt off of the Sun Ledge, resting his muzzle on Waverush’s head.  Waverush licked his shoulder in return, before Falconstar padded to stand in front of Moonpaw.

 

“Moonpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Mooncover.  This name was given to you by the Sun God, and he recognizes the effort that you have given to earn this name.”  Just like with Waverush, Falconstar set his muzzle on top of Mooncover’s head, and she licked his shoulder in return.

 

_ “Waverush! Mooncover! Waverush! Mooncover!” _

 

Waverush had turned his eyes to the crowd, and a small she-cat named Treepaw rushed up to him, pressing her muzzle into his thick fur.  Mooncover couldn’t help purring at the two.

 

“Well, Mooncover,” Goldenleap’s voice meowed.  She turned to look at him, and remembered that they were positioned the same way that they were when she had become his apprentice.  “I wouldn’t say that you’re at Goldenleap Status, but you’re the closest cat here to it.”

 

“Well, it’s all thanks to you,” Mooncover purred.  Goldenleap nodded.

 

“Exactly, that’s why I should train more apprentices,” he meowed.  “But will Falconstar let me? Not until a kit gets a power that corresponds with my own.”

 

Mooncover had heard stories of cats saying that they could prove their attachment to any deities they believed in by moving mountains.  She felt like she would be able to move one just by glaring at it.

 

It didn’t take long for the rest of the Clan to fall asleep.  The only difference between the usual silent vigil and the two new warrior’s was that they were tasked with guarding the prisoner’s den.

 

“Hey,” one of the prisoners whispered towards the two warriors.  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pale gray tom that looked to be about the size of an apprentice.  “You’re the new warriors, right? Why are they making you two guard the us?” Mooncover only flicked her tail.  “Hey, stop ignoring me!” the cat growled.

 

“Stone,” Snow’s voice meowed, sounding drowsy.  “Go to sleep.”  Mooncover could see Waverush smiling at her, and she gave him her own soft smile and an ear flick in return.  In the open space of time she had, she thought.  

 

Ever since Featherfern’s kits had been born, she had thought about the ability to freeze time.  In a way, she would think, she would be able to help more cats.  The spread of disease would stop, the next battle would never occur, and stop the growing heat of Green Leaf.  She would be able to stop time in the middle of a battle, and turn the tides for SunClan’s favor.  

 

Mooncover was proud of her Clan- SunClan was in her heart, and in the heart of every SunClan cat.  The more she could do to help it, she would.  

 

There was also personal reasons for wanting to change her power.  During training, she had found that she enjoyed watching the sky.  During the day, the clouds would slowly move across the sky and change shape.  At night, she would be able to sit and watch the stars.  They were said to be what the Sun God changed cats into- the brightest stars in the sky.  Looking at the sky was a way of celebrating life.

 

She knew that days seemed to keep repeating- each day brought a new cycle of the previous day.  The way that Mooncover had to make it special was changing it herself, and to realize new things about her home.  Usually, SunClan cats would throw their heads backwards in sadness, yowling to the sky for their dead loved ones.  Now, Mooncover felt like throwing her head backwards in joy, yowling to the Sun God for the Clan made in his name.

 

Mooncover knew that she was young at heart- maybe that was why if she wasn’t ordered to be silent for the night, she  _ would _ have yowled to the skies.  As such, she didn’t want to die yet.  Even though she had just promised to give up her life if she had to, she didn’t want to die.  She knew she would someday, but she couldn’t say she was in a hurry to see Willowshade again.  She had a lot that she wanted to do before she died, and maybe being able to convince others was one of them.  What she wanted to convince them off was something hard- even though there was a war going on, she wanted to live happily.  Most cats, however, were too focused on preparing for the next battle.

 

No one knew when the next battle would happen.  No cat knew what would  _ happen _ tomorrow, and Mooncover welcomed that uncertainty.  She knew that she could die tomorrow, but the way to fight that fact was to savor everything that came her way.

 

She glanced at Waverush, and remembered the way that Treepaw had rushed towards him as the Clan was cheering their names.  She nearly purred at the thought of them becoming mates and having kits.  

 

“You two can rest, now,” Mooncover blinked at the black apprentice in front of them.  “Redheart told me to tell you that there’s nests for you in the warrior’s den.”  The warrior’s jaws parted in a massive yawn as she stood, stretching out her muscles.  

 

“Thanks, Blackpaw,” Waverush mumbled as the new padded towards their new nests.  Mooncover thought that the night was shorter than usual.

 

She was woken the next day by the sound of two cats complaining about the seemingly endless fighting.  Mooncover mentally shook her head.  Complaining, she knew, wasn’t going to end the war.  She sat up in her nest, hissing at the pain of a kink in her neck.  A warrior from a few nests away from hers purred at her.

 

“Yeah, the sticks can make sleeping in here uncomfortable sometimes,” she meowed.  “But we all find a way around it.”  Mooncover blinked before she nodded.  

 

Days passed, and Mooncover couldn’t help but be proud of her warrior status.  One thing she noticed, however, was that cats didn’t seem to be bringing the prisoners food.  

 

One night, with a rabbit and a finch clamped in her jaws, she snuck in through the back of the den and dropped the prey.  She shook awake a familiar-looking black tom.  His hazel eyes glared up at her.  She didn’t have to worry about guards- the Clan had grown cocky, and despite Falconstar’s and the deputy’s orders, they didn’t guard the den at night.

 

“What do  _ you _ want, Non-Believer?” he growled.

 

_ Non-Believer? _ Mooncover thought, blinking.  “Is that really how you’re going to treat the cat that brought you prey?” she purred.

 

The tom’s hazel eyes widened for a heartbeat, before his expression became blank.  “I don’t want your prey,” he meowed.

 

Mooncover scoffed.  “Fine, starve if you want,” she growled.  “See if I care.”  She turned tail and left the den.

 

The problem was, she  _ did _ care.  The next day, she peeked inside the prisoner’s den as she passed by, happy to see the rabbit and finch eaten.  She returned the next night with a robin and a vole.

 

This time, nearly all of the cats were awake as she slipped into the den.  Snow narrowed her eyes at her as she set down the fresh-kill.  Before any cat even approached the prey, Snow padded towards the warrior.

 

“Why are you giving us your catches?” she asked with narrowed eyes.

 

“I’m not going to let any cat starve,” Mooncover meowed.  “SunClan or not.”

 

“You’re risking yourself,” Snow meowed.

 

“I know.”  The silence stretched for heartbeat after heartbeat before Snow flicked her tail, the Raiders attacking the food.

 

“Thank you, SunClanner,” Snow mewed, dipping her head.

 

“Mooncover,” she corrected.  The leader blinked.

 

“Mooncover,” she repeated, blinking.  The warrior dipped her head before leaving the prisoner’s den.  

 

Maybe she couldn’t freeze time, but she had confidence in her own ability and in her force fields.  However, she knew that she wasn’t as in tune with her powers as she could be- she had once watched the Medicine Cat heal a deep wound on an apprentice with only a tail flick, and she had marveled (and still does, whenever she watched the tom do his work) at how a cat could be so connected to their power.

 

She returned to the prisoner’s den the next night, once again with a water vole and a mouse in her jaws, remembering how after Willowshade died she felt like the territory was small and confining.  After she had let her thoughts build and take shape, she realized that from the view of a blade of grass, the territory must have seemed like a universe.  

 

Essentially, she had thought, SunClan cats were small, but not insignificant.  They were bigger then they thought they were in the grand scheme of the world.  However, she guessed that the Raiders had the feeling of their den being small and confining.

 

“Hey,” the gray apprentice-sized cat asked as they ate, “why didn’t you talk to me when you were guarding the den?” he asked.

 

“It’s a tradition we have,” she explained.  “When you earn your warrior name, you guard the camp for the whole night in a silent vigil.”  The tom nodded, returning to his food.

 

The next night, Snow asked a question.

 

“How did your leader know my name?” she asked.

 

“Falconstar’s immortal,” Mooncover explained.  “He knows a lot of things, but I don’t know how.”

 

“How old is he?” a brown she-cat asked.

 

Mooncover shrugged.  “All I know is that he’s our second leader.”

 

The night after that, she asked her own question.  

 

“Why are you attacking us?” she asked, curling her tail around her paws.

 

An older tom scoffed.  “I don’t think a Non-Believer would understand,” he meowed.  Anger flared in Mooncover’s chest as she approached the tom, lifting her head to stand at her full height.  

 

“This battle has been going on since I was four moons old,” she growled.  “It has killed my mother and many of my friends.  Even if I won’t understand, I want to know.”

 

The older tom growled at her in return.  “We all have dead cats.  You having your own doesn’t give you a reason to know.”

 

“Hawk,” Snow growled.  “Enough.”  Mooncover turned her head to look at the she-cat.  She sat down and let out a sigh.  “A season-cycle ago, one of our cats was told about SunClan in a dream.”

 

“Who?” Mooncover asked.  

 

“It was a cat you didn’t capture,” Snow meowed.  “She was told about your first leader and how he sparked the belief in the Sun God.  She was also told about how that belief had died out.”

 

“So you call us Non-Believers,” Mooncover mewed.  Snow nodded.

 

“We have our own god- the Moon Goddess.  However-” the she-cat continued to speak before Mooncover could ask her question.  “We believe that she has a living vessel on earth, which is usually born into our own group of cats.  After the old Moon Goddess died, she didn’t become part of our group again.  We were told that she lives here, in SunClan.”

 

“Do you have any idea who it is?” Mooncover asked.  

 

“I have a theory,” Snow answered, but didn’t say who she thought it was.  “We keep attacking because we have to reinstate your faith, and find the Moon Goddess.”  After a few heartbeats, Mooncover spoke again.

 

“You know,” she meowed.  “I’m one of the few cats that believe in the Sun God here.  I don’t know how many others there are, though.”  She turned and left the den.

 

As she slipped into the den once more the next night, the black tom asked her a question.

 

“Why were you named Mooncover?” he asked.

 

“Well,” she began, “You would have to ask Falconstar for the ‘cover’ part, but I was named Moonkit because my mother didn’t believe in the Sun God.”

 

“Moon _ kit _ ?” the apprentice-sized cat asked.  

 

“Our names show our rank,” Mooncover explained.  “When I was a kit, I was Moonkit, and when I became an apprentice I was Moonpaw.”  The cats didn’t comment on it, but they seemed confused.

 

Snow began murmuring something under her breath.  Mooncover tilted her head as she listened, her eyes narrowed and one ear folded backwards in confusion.  After Snow was done speaking, Mooncover felt empty.  A heartbeat later, something  _ else _ had taken control of her.

 

“Snow,” she heard her own voice greeting, but it sounded different to her.

 

“Moon Goddess,” Snow meowed, dipping her head in respect.  

 

_ Wow,  _ Mooncover thought.   _ I really should have seen that coming. _

 

“She’s  _ really _ the vessel,” the black tom groaned.

 

“Quiet, Raven,” Snow growled.

 

“The war will end soon,” the Moon Goddess meowed, her eyes pinned on Snow.  “Mooncover will have a role in it.”

 

_ Wait, what?! _ Mooncover thought.   _ Do I have to? _

 

The Moon Goddess purred.  “Yes,” she meowed.  “You do.”

 

_ You can hear me? _

 

“I’ll explain later, Mooncover.”

 

_ Fine, _ she grumbled in her head.

 

“What do you want us to do?” Snow asked.

 

“Fight.”

 

When Mooncover felt like herself again, she rushed out of the den like a kit that had been caught sneaking out of camp.

 

_ “We’ll be sharing a body now,” _ the Moon Goddess meowed in her head.   _ “We’ll always hear each other.” _

 

“Fun,” Mooncover mumbled, slipping into the warrior’s den and into her nest.

 

For the next two nights, she only threw prey into the prisoner’s den before leaving, even though the Moon Goddess argued with her on her decision.  On the third night, the Raiders attacked.  The captured Raiders surged out of their den, attacking SunClan with the other Raiders- or, MoonClan, as Mooncover had started calling them.

 

The battle was a mess of claws, fangs, and powers to Mooncover.  She put up force field after force field, saving every SunClan cat that she could before she became exhausted.  She got the empty feeling again, as the Moon Goddess took control of her body.

 

_ “What are you doing?!” _ Mooncover yowled.  

 

“You’ll have control soon,” the Moon Goddess meowed, rushing towards a SunClan cat and pinning them down before she relented her control.

 

“Mooncover?!” the cat asked.  “What are you doing?” 

 

Mooncover sighed.  “I wish I knew,” she meowed, before she heard a yowl.  She snapped her head upwards, seeing Treepaw being pushed into a corner by two MoonClan cats.  She leapt off of the SunClan warrior, trying to set up a force field in front of Treepaw, but not having the energy to.  Instead, she leapt in front of the apprentice, feeling claws score across her throat.

 

With every inhale, blood gurgled at her throat.  Hoarsely, she ordered Treepaw to run as jaws closed around her throat.  Dimly, she heard a cat yowl for another to stop, and Mooncover feel to the ground.  She saw Waverush above her, his eyes filled with unshed tears.

 

“Mooncover, you can’t die yet!” he yowled at her.  In the background, she could hear Snow hissing to another cat-  _ That was the Moon Goddess, you mouse brain! _  “You used to say that we would break every limit set for us, didn’t you?” Waverush asked her.  “So, you can’t let this stop you! You have to keep living!”

 

Mooncover gave him a soft smile, too tired to do anything else.  “Waverush,” she began, “nothing can limit me.”  Everything went black, and she had time to stop and think.

 

She didn’t get to spread her ideas to other cats, or to live to become an elder.  But how many cats could say they were the vessel of the Moon Goddess?

 

When things came into focus, she could see Snow speaking with Falconstar, but it didn’t seem to matter what they were saying, because she was looking at two cats.

 

The first was a she-cat whose fur was so white it glowed.  She had ice blue eyes to match her fur color.  The second was a golden-pelted tom with blazing amber eyes.

 

“Goodbye, Mooncover,” the Moon Goddess meowed, dipping her head.  “You weren’t my vessel for long, but you ended a war and brought a new belief to SunClan.”  Mooncover blinked as the Moon Goddess faded from her vision.  

  
“Follow me,” the Sun God meowed.  “Willowshade will be quite proud of you, I believe.”  Mooncover brightened as the sound of her mother’s name.  She didn’t notice as tiny flames were lit between her fur, making her look like a star as she followed the Sun God.


End file.
